


Of Paw Prints and First Kisses

by becomingjk



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, Gay, Han Jisung | Han is Oblivious, Han Jisung | Han is Whipped, Happy Ending, I dont know how to tag, Lee Minho | Lee Know is a Sweetheart, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Minor Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Mutual Pining, No Sex, No Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, depends on what you consider smut, han is afraid of storms, jeongin barely appears, jeongin is chan's little brother, maybe a little bit of smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-03-02 10:04:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18808948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/becomingjk/pseuds/becomingjk
Summary: Jisung is kind of like a cat.Minho loves cats.





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I've started to write a fanfic lol I really hope you like it! Don't forget to let me know what you think!

“When did you find him again?”

 

“When I was fourteen. I was walking home from school.” Minho smiles, “I had to beg my mum to keep him.”

 

He cuddles the surprisingly docile cat close to his chest and they both seem to emanate a content glow. It might be the soft morning light coming in from the curtained window of Minho’s living room. 

 

Chan laughs from his spot on the couch, looking gently at them and comments:

 

“He looks happy. I’m surprised you don’t have like twenty cats now that you’ve moved out.”

 

“Well, they have to be special,” Minho says, “They have to click with me if I want to pick them up and give them a home.”

 

“I think you have a talent for that,” Chan says thoughtfully, picking up his phone and opening the camera. He frames Minho and his cat into a picture that could just as well be a painting.

 

“For what?”

 

Chan shrugs.

 

“I don’t know, just… picking up tiny, scared and hungry little things and caring for them, making them happy.”

 

“I guess so.”

 

 

 

 

A month and a half later, Minho meets Jisung.

 

it’s not exactly a pretty, movie-like scenario. And to be honest, Minho wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen that day. It was cloudy and dull. Tall buildings loomed over him and cars rushed by. It was a grey day all around. 

 

Minho was making his way down a pretty crowded street in the shopping district closest to his house. He wanted to get a snack or maybe ice cream. Just sit in a nice little place and stare out the window for a while, catch up on his reading. And as he was walking to a rather popular pastry shop he realised that, on a Saturday afternoon, he’d probably have to wait at least an hour to order. He changed his mind suddenly. Maybe going to a lesser known place closer to his house would be better.

 

And so he turned around. But his plans for a pleasant afternoon quite literally came crashing down, because he slammed into somebody that came running behind him with full force. It was a hard crash and both Minho and the boy he had bumped into fell back onto the concrete.

 

Minho blurted out a breathless apology and quickly stood up. As he did, he felt a cracking noise and a particular shape under his shoe.

 

The boy, still on the ground and probably still trying to regain composure, watched as Minho lifted up his foot to reveal a completely shattered mobile phone under it. In a split second of pure panic, he glanced straight into Minho’s eyes, looking for some sort of reassurance that that was, in fact, not his phone and that everything would be okay.

 

And in those eyes, Minho saw what was probably the most accurate human representation of a helpless, abandoned little kitten in the rain he had ever seen in his entire life. He was wearing a college hoodie which happened to be the same college Minho attended.

 

The kid scurried on the ground to grasp his damaged device and wipe the screen a few times as if that was going to be of any help.

 

“Oh, no. Oh no, no, no!” He cried, pressing all buttons simultaneously, but the phone remained silent and void. “Please don’t be dead!”

 

Seeing as the boy grew in desperation and didn’t seem to be willing to get off the floor any time soon, Minho snatched the phone away and stretched his hand out to him.

 

“Hey, I apologise for bumping into you and breaking your phone, let me see if there’s anything we can do about it, okay?”

 

The boy looked up at him empty of feeling, limp. A little paler than normal too, so Minho resorted to straight up grabbing the sleeve of his shirt and pulling him up until he stood.

 

“I…” He tried to speak, but his eyes watered and he shut his mouth immediately.

 

On the verge of tears, the boy let Minho drag him to a less crowded spot on the sidewalk, where they wouldn’t be annoying the passersby. Minho maneuvered the phone the best way he could, trying to get it to turn on, but to no avail.

 

“It’s dead, isn’t it?” The boy sighed, taking his phone back and staring at it. The cracked screen seemed to resemble his feelings. “I don’t even have money to buy a new one.”

 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Minho said, “You were running, are you in a hurry to get somewhere?”

 

The boy hesitated, “no, not really.”

 

“Okay, look. There’s an Apple Store nearby, let’s go there and see if it can be fixed. Sounds good?”

 

“I guess.” He shrugged.

 

“My name’s Minho by the way, Lee Minho.”

 

“I’m Han Jisung”

 

They shook hands and walked in awkward silence to the store that was a couple of blocks away. Minho felt like asking him questions but kept quiet. He felt like trying to comfort him, but he couldn’t find the words. The arrived at the Apple store and asked to see a technician.

 

“I’m sorry, we can’t fix it,” the tech sighed after having taken a look at it. “And this is an old model too, we don’t make it anymore, so we can’t replace it either.”

 

Jisung’s shoulders dropped, defeated. His already gloomy aura turned sadder. He took his destroyed phone back and murmured a low _thank you_ before turning around and heading back to the entrance.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

Jisung stopped. He turned around and looked everywhere but Minho’s eyes.

 

“He said it can’t be fixed, and I already told you that I can’t buy another one. So I’d like to go home now.”

 

Minho chuckled but stifled up when Jisung glared at him.

 

“But _I_ broke it,” he explained, “so _I’ll_ buy you a new one.”

 

“What? No.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“No, thank you though.”

 

“Come on.” Minho picked up a phone on display that he could afford. Not the latest one but definitely an upgrade from Jisung’s old one. “Black or white? Which one do you like better?”

 

“Neither. I’m going home.”

 

“Alright. Black it is then.”

 

Minho looked around for an employee and asked for the phone before Jisung could react and stop him.

 

“What are you doing? I told you I didn’t want it!” He said but Minho ignored him, brought out his wallet and looked for a card. “Lee Minho!”

 

He tugged at Minho’s sleeve like a kid that’s about to ask for sweets, puffy eyes already getting redder. But Minho didn’t budge. Swiped his card and got the new phone in a pristine little baggy. He handed it to Jisung with a big smile, and he reluctantly accepted it.

 

“Well thank you,” he sighed, “I’m indebted to you now.”

 

Minho shook his head.

 

“Nonsense, I broke it. I paid for it.”

 

“Still, this is really expensive. I feel like I owe you.”

 

Just because he seemed miserable, and maybe because he’s frankly quite cute and Minho wanted to see what he looked like smiling, he came up with another plan.

 

“Okay. I’ll tell you what.” He said, and Jisung looked up at him. “How about you buy me dinner and we settle the debt at that?”

 

“Okay,” Jisung accepted almost immediately but there was a tint of worry in the creases on the corners of his eyes.

 

“Nice. There’s this really nice restaurant nearby that…” Minho started to say but the look of worry grew in Jisung’s eyes. “I’m fine with convenience store ramen.”

 

 

 

 

A light drizzle has started to fall and the sun has gone down when they sit down next to the window of a tiny 7/11. Wooden chopsticks sit on top of their cup noodles and as they wait for them to be ready, Jisung carefully unboxes his phone, peels off the plastic protector and puts in his SIM card.

 

“Did you have a lot of important stuff in the old one?” Minho asks.

 

“Nothing that I’ll miss, to be honest.”

 

“Well, that’s good to hear.” Minho extends his hand out for the phone. “Give me.”

 

“Why?” Jisung asks, but he’s already handing it in, unlocked.

 

Minho fiddles with it for a while.

 

“So that I can add me as a contact. We go to the same school, you know?” He says distractedly while typing away some numbers. “So if you ever need something you can just text me.”

 

“We go to the same school? Are you a senior?”

 

“Junior, I’m on Performing Arts. You?”

 

Jisung stirs his noodles and blows on them before answering.

 

“Sound Production. I’m just a freshman though.”

 

They go into a silence that’s a bit more comfortable than the previous one. Maybe they grew closer after a few words and warm food. That’s until Minho gasps and sets his noodles down.

 

“Wait! You’re _the_ Han Jisung!” He says with a pretty smile. Jisung lets out a confused sound. “You take Music Theory with Chan, right? Bang Chan?”

 

“Uh… yeah.”

 

“Oh, I’ve heard plenty about you. He says you’re really passionate and that working on a song with you would be cool.” 

 

Minho goes back to his food with the most satisfied look on his face for some reason. Chan is a close senior of Jisung that he really admires, but he didn’t know that he thought of him that way. He feels like blushing.

 

“You’re friends with Bang Chan?”

 

And they continue a light conversation about school until it’s finally time to part ways. Minho offers to walk Jisung home but he profusely refuses. And they go their separate ways.

 

 

 

Jisung thinks that’s the end of it. That it was just a weird encounter with a random dude from school or a crazy dream, and that everything will go away and be forgotten in a couple of days. But of course, he’s wrong. When he gets to school by Monday he has already managed to spend his whole weekend thinking about this guy Lee Minho. 

 

He comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t like him. He’s sketchy. Who can just simply pull out a credit card and buy random people on the street super expensive phones? Like, how rich do you have to be? The worst thing is that every time he looks down at his phone, he’s reminded of him.

 

Lunchtime comes quickly and Jisung and his friends head to the cafeteria to sit down. He’s excited to eat and have time to think about something else that’s not this guy he met on Saturday.That’s ruined when ten minutes into lunch a hand sneaks behind him to ruffle his hair up.

 

“What’s up, Han Jisung?”

 

That voice is familiar. The unique timbre and pitch. Jisung turns around hoping that it will be anybody but who he knows it will be. He’s looking different than Saturday. More… polished, his hair is combed and parted in the middle and he’s wearing a striped shirt that looks pretty good on him. Jisung waves nervously.

 

“Hey.”

 

Chan appears from behind Minho and says hi too. He pats Jisung’s shoulder and tells everyone to enjoy their lunch, and then they go to sit at another table with two other guys. Almost immediately, Felix leans over the table wide-eyed. 

 

“You’re friends with Lee Minho and Bang Chan?”

 

“And you didn’t tell us?” Seungmin adds.

 

“Well, not exactly, I just share a class with Chan and happen to know Lee Minho,” Jisung explains but Felix cuts him off again.

 

“Are you kidding me? They like you, did you see how they said hi to you?” 

 

“Specially Minho, how do you guys even know each other?”

 

“I don’t really feel like talking about it.”

 

“Jisung, this is serious. They’re the most popular guys in school.”

 

“What? No way.”

 

Jisung rolls his eyes but looks at the table Minho shares with his friends. They have a certain aura around them. And some girls nearby are definitely staring hard at them. Since when have they been popular? Jisung wasn’t aware at all. He shared a class with Bang Chan and he was the biggest goofball. No way they were so cool. But now that he actually paid attention to them, they all had dazzling looks. The kind that you would only find in movies. 

 

“Bang Chan and Kim Woojin are the most popular seniors of the school. They throw the best parties,” Seungmin says. “Plus, Seo Changbin right there is the most popular among girls. They say he’s cold and doesn’t give his heart to anyone. Hyunjin’s had a crush on him since the start of the year.”

 

“What? How did I not know about this?” Jisung gives a reprimanding stare to Hyunjin that looks away and stuffs food in his face. 

 

“Jisung. You need to get them to be friends with us,” Felix suggests.

 

“No.”

 

“Why not?” Hyunjin barges in for the first time. “You’re already friends with Minho, so why not?”

 

“Because I’m not friends with him!” Jisung complains. “Plus, we’re already quite popular, we don’t need them.” 

 

“We could never get to their level,” Seungmin rolls his eyes. “And if you got them to be friends with us, we could get Changbin to date Hyunjin.”

 

“You don’t even know if he swings that way.”

 

“Of course he does,” Felix scowls. “You can tell from a mile away. Why do you think he doesn’t give in to the advances of every girl on campus?”

 

“Well, that’s not my problem,” Jisung gets up. “Get a man by yourself, Hyunjin. I’m not getting involved with them, I don’t like them. And that’s final.”

 

It’s not final. The boys take about three days to convince Jisung that befriending the popular guys is a great idea. At first, Jisung doesn’t give in. He’s content with the popularity that he has now, and he’s only a freshman, he’s sure he’ll become more popular as the years pass. But all of his friends seem to want it desperately. Especially Hyunjin. 

 

After all, Jisung really does like Bang Chan, and he’d love to be friends with him. It’s just Lee Minho that gives him a strange vibe. He’s too tall and too attractive. Too rich and he dresses too well. And Jisung feels like he owes him something. He’s just uncomfortable around him.

 

A week later, Jisung’s group chat name has been changed to “ _Operation Changjin_ ” and the boys are way too excited about orchestrating a plan to get Seo Changbin and Hyunjin together. So he just goes along with it. After all, he can just introduce them through Bang Chan and then let his friends take over. He doesn’t even have to interact with Lee Minho if he doesn’t want to, right?

 

Yeah, that’s simple enough. _Operation Changjin_. Introduce his friends to Chan and let the magic work itself. No need to be near Lee Minho, it makes him too nervous. He’s sure everything will work out alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Don't forget to let me know what you think in the comments c: Have a great week and stay safe!


	2. Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ran out of writer battery for the whole week it was horrible, I was so blocked lol but!!!! today the weather was really nice and rainy and I could finally write something, hope you all like it!! Also, I have planned all my chapters now so I hope to upload more frequently!! c: oh and you best believe I brought marvel into this lol

Jisung didn’t think of himself as a coy person. In fact, he thought he was pretty outgoing. But, for some reason, in the middle of his Music Theory class and sitting right next to who he was told was the most popular guy in school, words just wouldn’t come out.

 

It’s not that he was nervous, he had sat next to Chan on multiple occasions, asked for help and even held casual conversations. He knew that Chan was nice and that Chan thought he was passionate. But he felt weird. Maybe because he had an ulterior motive, or because he was being forced into something that he wasn’t sure he wanted to do.

 

Luckily for him, Chan leaned over with a pretty dimpled smile and started a conversation.

 

“Heard you’re friends with Minho,” he said. And Jisung wanted to roll his eyes.

 

“I guess you could say so, we just kinda know each other.” He shrugged instead, and immediately tried to change the topic. “I heard you wanted to make a song with me?”

 

“Did Minho tell you?” Chan laughed. “Hope you don’t think I’m weird, but I actually heard you sing the other day, and I really liked your style.”

 

“Thank you,” Jisung said. He felt a little brighter now. A little praise goes a long way when it comes to Han Jisung.

 

“So, my friend Changbin and I, we’re working on a couple of tracks for my senior project and I think a voice like yours would go really well with them, if you want to of course,” Chan got closer and stretched a hand out for Jisung to shake, “I was going to ask you later but I guess Minho already did it for me.”

 

Jisung pretended like he was thinking about it for a second, but he already knew what he was going to say ever since Minho told him. He really liked Chan musically, and any chance to work on a song would be an honor in itself. Plus, that would give him an excuse to become friends with him and help his friends with their dumb plan.

 

They shook hands all giddy and smiley, almost like middle school children, and then turned back to listening to the lecture. That is until Chan leaned over again to talk to Jisung.

 

“Are you doing something on Friday night?” He asked, and Jisung considered saying he had a party to attend, just to look cool. He shook his head. “Changbin and I were planning on watching Endgame, but if you want to come over maybe we can start working on something?” 

 

“Oh, I wanted to see Endgame too!”

 

“We can do both,” Chan giggled.

 

Jisung knew that if his friends found out that he had made plans like these without even trying to help their plan, he would die. So he thought of something to say.

 

“I promised my friend Hyunjin that we would watch it together, can he come over too?”

 

Maybe a bit too pushy and sudden, Jisung cringed on the inside, but Chan didn’t seem fazed. 

 

“Sure. Wait, now that I think of it, Woojin wanted to watch it as well,” he said, looking to the side, trying to come up with a solution. He gave Jisung a bright eye-smile. “You know what? You can invite your other friends too, tell them to bring snacks. We’ll make it a movie night!”

 

Jisung nodded and compliantly exchanged numbers with Chan. He sighed. If he knew it was so easy to make it happen he wouldn’t have stressed about it. Done. One movie night and his friends would take over their Operation Changjin, no Lee Minho in sight.

 

He spent the rest of the lecture thinking that maybe the reason Chan was so popular, was because he just openly made friends with anyone and made you feel like you’d known him forever.

 

When class was over, Jisung opened his hellish group chat and dropped the news with a smile.

 

_ Guess who got you weirdos a date. _

 

_ For the record, you’re now a Marvel fan, Hyunjin. _

 

It’s safe to say that Felix, Seungmin, and Hyunjin absolutely _ freaked out  _ when they heard the story. Jisung still didn’t get why this was so important to them, but he liked being praised and offered food, so he let them be. They were so happy.

  
  
  
  


By the afternoon, he felt a little fuzzy. These days, Jisung often craved some peace and quiet and being by himself in general. He shared a dorm room with Felix, and Hyunjin and Seungmin were usually there as well, so it was always pretty noisy. His best alternative was the library, it was close by, accessible and free. And most of all, quiet.

 

He thought of getting some reading done for class. But he knew that he’d mostly just sit there and think. So he chose a slightly isolated table and brought out his books. For the first couple of minutes, Jisung was actually able to concentrate and even took a notebook and made some notes. Then, suddenly, all motivation disappeared. He couldn’t concentrate at all. He turned to look out the window at some trees.

 

“What’s up?” A small whisper suddenly came from behind him.

 

Jisung shut his eyes tightly, wishing that the voice would simply go away. But he felt somebody sit down right next to him. 

 

He shyly opened one eye and almost let out a sigh. Of course, it was him. The person he was less eager to see in the whole world. He sits there looking all smug. Jisung kinda wants to tell him to frick off.

 

“Hey,” he says instead. He doesn’t have any actual reason to be mean to him. He just doesn’t like him.

 

Minho gives him a closed lips smile. Why does he keep appearing everywhere Jisung goes? Before they met, Jisung swears he had never even seen him. But now, he seemed to just materialize wherever Jisung stood.

 

“How’s your phone doing?” He asks. 

 

Jisung looks away slightly embarrassed. He wants to roll his eyes. He also wants to get up and leave. 

 

“Pretty good, the camera definition is actually incredible...” he mumbles. What is he supposed to do now? Thank him again? 

 

Minho rests his face on his hand and looks at Jisung eagerly. His big almond eyes almost piercing through him. Is he expecting praise? 

 

“And how are  _ you _ doing?” 

 

“Me?” Jisung asks, a little taken aback. He sure wasn't expecting a question like that. “I’m doing fine I guess.”

 

He curls into himself. Minho is still staring at him. His hair is a little tossed today, and it goes well with the sunlight. He's wearing a black coat that makes him look fancy.

 

“You’re such a gloomy kid, you know?”

 

“No, I’m not.” Jisung frowns. 

 

“I’ve never seen you smile once,” Minho says, and he looks amused. 

 

“Have you been watching me?” Jisung asks, half jokingly and half seriously. 

 

Minho smiles, he finally averts his gaze and grabs Jisung’s notebook and a pen. He starts doodling something along the margin. He never answers the question.

 

“I wish I could see you smile, I’m curious.”

 

“I agreed to make a song with Chan.” Jisung tries to change the subject. But Minho seems to be more focused on the notebook now.

 

“Cool. Can’t wait to hear it.” 

 

Now that Minho’s not looking straight at him, Jisung feels a bit more comfortable and a thought comes to his mind.

 

“How much did he talk about me?”

 

“ _ There’s this kid in my class, Han Jisung. He’s got a powerful vibe, that one. His voice is great. I’m sure he raps too. His style really fits Changbin’s _ … or something like that,” Minho recalls with a bored expression.  “Why? Were you hoping he had a crush on you?”

 

Jisung wants to laugh but refuses stubbornly. He now knows that Minho wants to see him smile. And just out of spite, it’s not happening.

 

“No, I was curious.”

 

Minho nods.

 

“Good. Give me your hand.” 

 

“Why?”

 

“Come on, I won’t hurt you.”

 

Jisung reluctantly stretches his hand out to Minho that takes it and scribbles something on his palm with the pen. Jisung tries to wiggle it away but Minho has a strong hold of him and doesn’t let go even after he’s done. He digs for something in his coat pocket and finally takes out a chocolate bar, sets it in Jisung’s hand to cover the drawing and lets go of him.

 

He gets up, grants Jisung a quick greeting and walks away.

 

Dumbfounded, Jisung grabs his notebook and looks at Minho’s doodles. It looks like a trail of sloppily drawn paw prints with words scattered in between, as the paws go up the page, so do the words. Jisung reads them.

 

_ You _

 

_ dumb _

 

_ gloomy _

 

_ kitten,  _

 

And then he reaches the edge of the page and the drawing ends. He puts the candy bar down and looks at the paw print on his palm. Sloppier than the ones on the paper, but still decipherable, and the words written under it.

 

_ cheer up _

 

Jisung checks that Minho is really gone before the corners of his lips curl up into the tiniest of smiles. He shakes his head. He doesn't like Minho or the way he acts. But that still was sorta cute of him. Jisung rubs the ink away from his hand but keeps the paper and the chocolate.

  
  
  
  


 

 

As he walks, Minho checks his pockets for a tube of chapstick. He can’t find it. Okay, Chan’s apartment isn’t too far away, and he’s on time. So there really is no harm in going back home and getting some chapstick on. He knows he’ll be uncomfortable the whole time without it.

 

So he turns around and makes his way back quickly. When he comes out of his building for the second time and starts walking, he identifies a boy he knows, turning the corner. 

 

A smile flashes on Minho’s face and he runs to him. He throws an arm across Jisung’s shoulders with a giggle.

 

“Have you been following me, Han Jisung?” he says into his ear.

 

Jisung flinches and sneaks away from Minho. He shifts into his mean expression. He always addresses Minho with that one. Combined with the soft baby blue sweater he’s wearing, it’s pretty cute. 

 

“What are you doing here?” he asks, slightly frustrated. 

 

Minho shrugs. Jisung doesn’t seem to like him that much, he doesn’t smile at him, he doesn’t laugh with him. And still, Minho feels such a strong pull towards him.

 

“I’m going to Chan’s to see a movie,” he replies and Jisung’s expression changes. He looks surprised and embarrassed and angry all at the same time. “What are you doing here?”

 

Minho asks even though he already knows the answer. He wants to see Jisung say it.

 

“I’m- I’m also going to Chan’s...”

 

“By yourself? I thought your friends were going too.”

 

Jisung looks away, he looks anxious. Their pace is somehow becoming faster. Minho tries to slow them down but it doesn’t work.

 

“Yeah, my roommate was taking a shower and I decided to just leave first.”

 

That sounds like a lie. But Minho doesn’t really know why Jisung would lie about that. He decides to change the subject anyway, and they talk about what living in the dorms is like. Minho wouldn’t know since he’s always had his own place, but Jisung doesn’t describe it as a pleasant experience. 

 

He likes that every time they talk, Jisung doesn’t hesitate to share aspects about him. Last time he told Minho about his song making plans. And now, he tells him all about how he lives. It’s not very personal information, but Jisung doesn’t seem too closed off. 

 

And even though he’s uncomfortable when they come across each other, he seems to let loose as they speak. He doesn’t like physical contact very much, though. His hand got sweaty when Minho held it to draw on it, and he escaped from a hug.

 

“Just like a cat...” He says absentmindedly, and Jisung raises his eyebrows at him.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Nothing!”

 

They make it to Chan’s place eventually, Changbin and Woojin are already there. Jisung takes to ignoring Minho as much as he can from then on. Jisung’s friends arrive a couple of minutes later and everybody introduces themselves. Minho observes them. The tall one doesn’t really seem like somebody Jisung would befriend. He’s on the shyer side but he’s very nice. The other two though, seem quite compatible. They are all smiles, to compensate what Jisung lacks. 

 

They soon turn to movie watching duty and they try to get comfortable in Chan’s tiny couch. For some reason, Jisung’s friends are very specific about seating, and they rearrange it a couple of times. Tall boy and Changbin end up in the middle of the couch, next to each other, freckles sits next to Changbin, on the edge of the couch, and Woojin takes the other side. Jisung seems to ignore everyone else and sits down on the floor, in front of the couch. Chan follows.

 

Minho makes sure everyone is comfortable and has snacks within arms reach before he pushes himself in between Jisung and Chan. Jisung looks annoyed but he doesn’t complain. 

 

Halfway through the movie, Minho feels a weight on his shoulder. He smiles. He doesn’t want to look away from the screen but he does anyway. Jisung has fallen completely asleep and right on his shoulder. His hair looks a little messy and his eyelashes look pretty and long. Minho doesn’t want to disturb him, so he doesn’t move at all. His breathing is steady and he looks calm.

 

Minho’s happy enough with that, but a couple of minutes later, Jisung snuggles even closer, moving his head to a cozier spot in his shoulder and linking one arm with Minho’s. Now that he thinks of it, Jisung didn't seem very interested in the movie from the beginning, and midterms season was near. He's happy that Jisung feels comfortable enough to fall asleep on him like that.

 

_ Poor thing, _ Minho thinks while looking down at the curve in Jisung's nose, his lips, and all the details of his face.  _ He must be so tired.  _

 

But he smiles to himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :)  
> I'm sorry if this was a little sloppy, I wasn't my best this week but I promise the next one is going to be so much better!  
> Don't forget to let me know what you think!  
> Have a great week and stay safe!


	3. Trip

Movie night turned out great. For everyone except Jisung, that is.  _ Operation Changjin _ was now officially in motion, and apart from that, the boys had honestly liked each other and quickly became friends. They even started having lunch together when schedules allowed it. As the days passed, Jisung lost track of which interactions were calculated by his friends to bring Hyunjin and Changbin together, and which were genuine.

 

But he could definitely say that the genuine ones were far more frequent. Before he knew it, this new group was hanging out together every other day. And much to Jisung’s demise, his friends thought Lee Minho was  _ a pretty cool guy _ . 

 

Words wouldn’t be able to explain how incredibly annoyed Jisung felt about the whole ordeal. Not only did he not know Minho was going to show up for movie night, but also now his friends liked him.

 

And this would’ve been slightly okay if he hadn’t fallen asleep right on Minho’s shoulder. What kind of person falls asleep on somebody they swear to hate? He thought back to Minho’s doodles on his notebook, and he really did feel like a dumb kitten right about now.

 

It’s just that he was so tired, and Minho was the closest person around. He just kinda followed an instinct. Initially, he was supposed to rest his eyes for a little bit. But then, without even knowing, he was lying on Minho. And he was warm and comfortable, so sleepy Jisung didn’t think about anything else. 

 

Even though he’s sure everyone saw it, he refused to bring it up in any of the conversations they had after movie night, and he was glad that Minho did the same thing. If any of his friends even mentioned the fact, Jisung would probably die of embarrassment.

 

And then one day, maybe two weeks after that night, when midterms were already over, Jisung received a text.

 

_ Let me buy you lunch today or I’ll tell everyone you drooled all over my hoodie _

 

His heart sinks and blood rushes to his cheeks. He’s not sure how to answer.

 

_ I did NOT! _

 

Minho replies with an address, that, after a quick google search, ends up being a diner near campus. Jisung guesses that’s just his life now, obliging to everything Lee Minho wants. It’s not like he can cuss him out. Jisung already owes him a lot for buying him a whole entire cellphone. And now for keeping the drooling a secret, apparently. He doesn’t even remember drooling. It’s probably made up. But he gets dressed and shows up anyway.

 

“Are you aware that this is blackmail?” He shoves their text conversation on Minho’s face as soon as he walks into the diner. 

 

Minho leans back and smiles brightly. He’s combed his hair parted in the middle and it forms shadows on his forehead. 

 

“Relax, if you didn’t wanna eat with me you could’ve just said so,” he laughs. 

 

And Jisung doesn’t know what to answer. He looks away and feels like blushing. That’s why he’s so uncomfortable around Minho. Everything he does makes Jisung feel like blushing. Also, he’s tall and Jisung has to look up at him. And, he’s always dressed and groomed so nicely and in detail, that it makes Jisung insecure about his own looks. Not to mention his face in general. Where has anyone ever seen a nose so sharp, a smile so pretty, eyes so round? He’s disgustingly attractive. Unfair. 

 

“I’ll pay for my own food,” Jisung decides to say as they sit down. But Minho waves a finger at him in negation.

 

“‘Not part of the agreement!” He brings out his phone, “I’ll tell everyone!” 

 

Jisung rolls his eyes. He looks around the place. It’s quite nice and cozy, all light colors and a welcoming atmosphere. He wonders why he’d never seen it before.

 

“We could’ve gone to the cafeteria. It’s cheaper.”

 

“But this is yummier,” Minho smiles. “Plus, it’s not healthy to eat only cafeteria and convenience store food.”

 

Jisung shrugs while taking a look at his menu. It’s not like a burger or mac and cheese are going to be any healthier. But when they actually order and Jisung digs in, he feels instantly warm and like he hadn’t eaten in ages. Maybe he did need some hearty food.

 

They eat and talk for what feels like hours and hours and hours to Jisung. Minho asks about his exams, his music projects, his favorite tea and everything he can think of. It was probably no more than half an hour, but Jisung ends up exhausted. He hadn’t talked so much in a while. It actually feels kind of relieving. And the food was good too. Minho smiled warmly at him the whole time and patiently listened to everything he said. Jisung felt taken care of. 

 

So, somehow, for the next couple of weeks, it becomes a routine for Minho and Jisung to meet at the little diner, eat something, and talk. Jisung just agrees to it every time Minho asks, and he ends up enjoying himself. It’s not like he likes Minho or enjoys his company. But he pays for Jisung’s food and makes him feel different than his friends do. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


After a particularly exhausting class, and while walking to his dorm room, Jisung realizes he has run out of battery. He rushes to get home and finds it surprisingly empty and quiet. Jisung throws himself into bed and lets out a relaxed sigh before plugging his phone in. He waits for it to turn back on, humming a calm melody, staring at the beams of light on the wall. It’s a particularly sunny day and even with the blinds on, light shines through the window. 

 

All of a sudden, his phone turns on and starts vibrating frantically. Jisung is startled by the number of notifications he’s receiving. He has become a little more popular after being seen hanging out with the seniors, but definitely not to that extent. He picks up his phone and the first notification he sees is from Minho.

 

_ I’ll pay for your share if you can’t do it. Don’t worry about it. I promise nobody will ever find out. _

 

Absolutely outrageous. Jisung doesn’t even know what Minho is referring to, but he’s offering to pay for him? Again? Who does he think he is? Does he think Jisung doesn’t have a penny to spare? He doesn’t, but it still is incredibly rude to assume. Jisung props himself up on his elbows, fuming, ready to give Minho a piece of his mind, when he scrolls down to see that the source of chaos is the group chat that Changbin had made for the eight of them.

 

363 messages? What the hell is going on? He scrolls quickly through the messages and spots a few things.

 

_ Woojin’s senior project _

 

_ a short film on the beach _

 

_ weekend trip _

 

_ rent a car and an Airbnb  _

 

He scratches his head in confusion. Is Woojin asking for money to fund his senior project? And is that why Minho offered to pay for him? Also, there is a new member of the group, a kid called Jeongin. 

 

Luckily for Jisung, the door opens and Felix walks in, freckled smile plastered on his face. He says hi and Jisung asks him to explain what’s going on.

 

“Okay so, basically, Woojin needs actors for his short film and we offered to give him a hand,” Felix says, as he drops his backpack on the floor and sits on his bed. “He really wanted it to be on the beach, so we thought we could turn it into a weekend trip before finals kill us all.”

 

“Like, this weekend? The one coming up in three days?” 

 

“Yeah! We already crunched the numbers and divided how much we need to rent a car and a place to spend the night, it’s not that much divided between nine people,” Felix talks with a certain glisten in his eyes, he’s excited about it. 

 

Jisung can’t say he feels the same way. This is extremely sudden, and Minho will be there, and the money… He doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t want to discourage Felix.

 

“Oh, yeah! Who’s that Jeongin guy that you added to the group?” He decides to ask instead.

 

“That’s Chan’s little brother! Did you know he had one? He offered to help too.” 

 

“Oh, cool!” He says and turns to face the wall. Usually, a sign that he doesn’t really feel like chatting anymore.

 

He scrolls a bit more through the group chat and tries to wrap his head around the idea of a random trip. But he just can’t get himself to like it. Finals are soon to come up as well, and Jisung doesn’t want to fail anything in his freshman year. He’s not sure he would be comfortable on that trip.

 

Truth is, it does sound really fun, but Jisung doesn’t like the idea of having fun with Minho there, what if he grows to like him? What if Minho gets the idea that they’re friends? He types out a message for him, then deletes it and writes it again.

 

_ I’m not going, thanks for the offer though _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“How does it feel to know your little brother is funnier than you?” Jisung asks the next day, sprawled comfortably on Chan’s bed, typing something out on the group chat. Even though he had decided not to go on the trip, he still chatted Jeongin up and wanted to get to know him.

 

“Rude, get out of my house,” Chan replies from his desk, sticking his tongue out to Jisung.

 

“He really is, though,” Changbin adds from his place on the floor. They had been working on their music for a while and now they’re taking a break.

 

“Wow.”

 

“Anyway, have you decided, Han?” Changbin asks, curious gaze ensuing. “I think you’re the only one left to confirm. Are you going?”

 

Jisung hesitantly shakes his head. He really doesn’t want to disappoint his friends but he won’t lie to them either. Chan jumps on his bed next to Jisung, making him hug his knees and kinda curl into himself.

 

“No?! Why not?”

 

He can’t even muster up an answer before Changbin speaks again.

 

“If it’s a money issue, we can help you out with that...” He says and Chan is already nodding his head.

 

“It’s not a money issue!” Jisung lashes out. It kinda is a money issue, but he hates that the people around him think he’s struggling. “Finals are coming up and I need to study, that’s all.”

 

“Oh come on,” Chan rolls his eyes. “You can’t spare a weekend?”

 

Jisung shakes his head. Suddenly both of his friends go into a convincing mode, trying all kinds of arguments and bribes to get him to agree to go on the trip. Even a tickle fight is started somewhere in the middle. Jisung likes feeling accepted and taken into consideration, he still doesn’t feel comfortable with the idea of the trip though, so he stops all comments about the subject with a single shout.

 

“I am not going on this trip and that is final!”

  
  
  
  
  
  


Jisung goes on the trip. He just walks up to Woojin during lunch the next day and hands him the money with a shy smile. The money that he had very painfully removed from his bank account, by the way, thinking of Minho the whole entire time. He was not going to allow him to pay for anything else. Owing something more to him? Nope.

 

As to why he decided to go and changed his mind all of a sudden, Jisung isn’t sure. He just woke up that morning with the desire to go. Who cares that Minho is going to be there? All seven of his other friends are gonna be there too. Jeongin included. And Jisung can just hang out with them and ignore Minho. Even though that didn’t work that well the first time he tried it.

 

So Saturday afternoon rolls around and Jisung gets picked up from the entrance of campus. Hyunjin is impressed that they were able to find a car actually big enough for the nine of them and happily hops in. Jisung is glad to see that Woojin, probably the only responsible adult around, is driving, and lets Felix and Seungmin jump in before he does.

 

And who would’ve guessed, that the only empty seat left is right next to Minho, that looks at him with an expectant smile? Jisung sets his mind to enjoy the trip to the best of his abilities, so he just rolls his eyes and gets in, immediately looking out the window after closing the door, and refusing to look at Minho.

 

The first hour of the two-hour road trip is fun, they play some games, sing some songs and tell some stories. By the last minutes, everything seems to have quieted down. Minho elbows Jisung slightly, and Jisung reluctantly looks at him. Minho offers an earphone. Jisung accepts without even thinking about it. His taste in music is decent. 

 

When they arrive at the house they had rented for the night, they decide to just leave their bags in the car and go straight to the beach. Jisung takes his backpack with him.

 

Shoes off and feet in the sand, the boys have a good time, the water is too cold to actually take a swim, but nobody would’ve wanted to anyway. Woojin takes some shots for his short film while the sun is setting and Felix chases Jeongin off with a creepy looking plant they swear is actually a dead fish.

 

Jisung watches the sunset for a while, sat in the sand. He brings out his phone and takes some pictures of the beach and some pictures of his friends. He gets a good shot of Seungmin laughing, and Chan holding up a peace sign in the background. Jisung makes sure Minho is not paying attention to him before he smiles. 

 

And when it officially starts getting dark they decide to have a bonfire. Jisung is skeptical that they’ll actually be able to do it with their rudimentary knowledge on how to start a fire. It takes them quite a while to find some good sticks that could work, but they have fun looking for them. And it takes them even longer to lit the bonfire up and get it to stay on. Jisung gets some Doritos from his bag and throws them in because he had read somewhere that it would help the fire. 

 

They all quickly gather around the light and heat and lament their lack of marshmallows, but they pass around Jisung’s bag of Doritos. They quickly find a topic of conversation. Jisung has a blanket with him too, and he brings it out and wraps it around himself when the air gets chillier. Early winter is definitely not the ideal time to have a bonfire at the beach, but they’re laughing and enjoying each other’s company.

 

Jisung looks around and checks that everyone is dressed warmly, and everybody seems to be. Changbin looks especially happy in his super puffy long padding jacket. Minho, on the other hand, is only wearing a hoodie and looks like his soul is about to leave his body from all the shivering. Is this a joke? Jisung considers not doing anything about it and just letting him catch a cold. it’s his responsibility after all for not thinking ahead and bringing warmer clothing. 

 

But he can’t ignore him. He rolls his eyes and gathers up his blanket, calling Minho’s name. 

 

“Here,” he says, handing the blanket. “We don’t want you freezing to death...”

 

Minho’s face lights up brighter than the fire, and he smiles at Jisung. He gets up from his spot next to Hyunjin and goes to sit down next to Jisung. He takes the blanket. 

 

“This is yours, though, let’s share,” he says while moving even closer to Jisung. 

 

He wraps the blanket around both of them. Nobody else seems to mind or even pay attention but Jisung stays incredibly still, cautious. And slightly angry. This is not what he wanted at all.  

 

And then Minho just cuddles up closer to him, rests his head on Jisung’s shoulder. And Jisung wants to smile smugly and say  _ now who’s lying their head on whose shoulder?  _ but he glances at Minho and he’s still holding that bright smile like he’s the happiest person in the world and he wouldn’t want to be anywhere else than where he is right now. And Jisung is taken aback. He really doesn’t know what to do, and his heart is slightly racing, so he just does nothing. 

 

And for some reason sharing the blanket seems warmer than having it all for himself. Minho’s hair is tickling his neck, and from the other side of the bonfire, Felix raises an eyebrow at him. 

  
  
  
  


When they finally put out the fire and go back to the house, they encounter the problem of where to sleep. There are three rooms in total, and somebody will have to sleep on the couch in the living room. Jeongin happily takes that place and falls into a deep sleep before anybody else can even think about it. 

 

Now they’re left with a room with two bunk beds, a master bedroom with one bed, and another bedroom with two single twin beds. Felix and Seungmin push for Changbin and Hyunjin to take the master bedroom, but they end up opting for the two twin beds. 

 

The remaining of them decide to cut up some toothpicks and whoever draws the short ones goes to the master bedroom. Jisung doesn’t mind sleeping wherever but then Minho draws the first short toothpick out of the bunch. Okay, now he really wants a bunk bed. Felix draws a long toothpick. Jisung swallows his breath. Chan draws a long toothpick. Jisung wants to shut his eyes tightly. Woojin draws a long toothpick. Jisung’s heart starts to race as Seungmin approaches him with only two toothpicks in his hand. He chooses one at random and hopes for the best.

 

It’s a long one. He lets out a relieved sigh and runs to choose a bed. Luck was finally on his side, he jumps in the one that looks the most comfortable and gets to scrolling through the pictures he took of the sunset. Happy and relaxed, Jisung lets the minutes pass until everyone is in bed and the lights are off. They had a really long day and everybody is tired, so there’s not much talking, Jisung just relishes in the fact that he’s not paired with Minho for once.

 

Sometime later, when all his roommates are fast asleep, the door of the room opens and Seungmin pops his head in. He sees Jisung is still awake and walks over to him. Even though his phone is on, Jisung is already half asleep and kinda groggy. So he just looks expectantly at Seungmin.

 

“Hey,” he whispers. Jisung asks what he wants. “So, my roommate is keeping the ceiling fan on and I absolutely cannot sleep like that, do you mind switching beds?”

 

Jisung thinks nothing of it, shrugs and gets up, nodding to Seungmin’s thanks, completely oblivious as to who Seungmin’s roommate is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: did you know some Koreans believe that if you sleep with a fan on, you'll die? lol
> 
> So this is a long boi and not much happens, but from the next chapter on it starts getting saucy I promise, be ready lol
> 
> Anyway, thank you for reading! Don't forget to let me know what you think in the comments! 
> 
> Have a great week and stay safe!


	4. Pretty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! I'm so sorry this took so long but I had some stuff going on in my life, I'll try to finish this as quickly as possible from now on!  
> Enjoy!

Half-asleep Jisung stumbles down the hall to what, according to Seungmin’s instructions, is his bedroom for the night. He opens the door as quietly as possible and glances at the ceiling fan that terrifies his friend. The room is not even that small and there is a big window above the bed. How in the world can he be so terrified of that thing? Jisung pays no mind to the guy already under the blankets, until he’s tucked in next to him. He checks his phone one last time before locking it and glances to the side in curiosity, to discover who his roommate is.

 

His heart skips a beat. This has to be some sort of sick joke. Of course. Of course, it’s Lee Minho. Of course. His blood boils. Jisung was so tired that he didn’t even remember the nerve-wracking process of choosing who would have to share a bed, in which he ended up drawing a long stick to finally be away from Minho for one second. But no, Seungmin had to be irrationally afraid of fans and he had to ask Jisung to swap beds with him. Of course.

 

For a second he’s tempted to go share the couch with Jeongin. It’s big, and Jeongin and Jisung are both small. Surely they could manage to sleep comfortably. But he’s already so sleepy and he doesn’t want to go through the work of convincing Jeongin. 

 

At least Minho is already asleep. Why didn’t Seungmin simply turn off the fan? Jisung curses under his breath. But he’s really glad Minho is sleeping, and his breathing is steady, and his sparkly eyes are shut. He can’t talk to Jisung with his charming voice. 

 

Jisung turns around and faces the wall, makes sure he’s comfortable before he places his phone on the nightstand. It doesn’t take much for him to fall asleep. He has a weird, restless dream about running down a beach that never ends, with the ever impending fear of being chased, yet not being able to see who’s chasing him, or run faster, or scream. When he wakes up again, he has turned back around and he’s facing Minho, and he swears he just felt somebody blow on his nose.

 

Dawn has cracked and the gentle sunlight that pours in from the window makes it hard for Jisung to open his eyes completely, so he squints for a bit. But Minho is still sleeping, breathing steady, and it seems like he hasn’t moved at all during the night. Now sunbathed, Jisung feels a little more comfortable looking at him. 

 

It’s not like he spends too much time thinking about Minho, of course, but Jisung can admit that he is a bit striking. Now, for example, his hair is a little tossed and his forehead is exposed. Upon further inspection, Jisung can see that he has long eyelashes that go well with his defined eyebrows. The bridge of his nose is also straight and sharp, in harmony with the rest of him. And his lips are pinkish and elegant. Jisung wonders how many people have kissed them. Surely a guy this hot has kissed plenty of people.

 

Apart from being hot, he also has this angelic vibe to him. Especially when he’s sleeping. The sunlight gives the illusion that his hair is slightly lighter at the ends, giving him a gentler image, and he seems so calm and happy. He’s...

 

Pretty. Pretty. Pretty. Everything about him is so pretty. 

 

“Are you staring at me?” Minho says suddenly. Startling Jisung so bad he almost screams.

 

“W-what?” He says. “No!”

 

A tiny smile pulls at the corners of Minho’s mouth, and he starts rubbing his eyes.

 

“Okay, creep,” he mumbles in his sleepy voice, a bit hoarse. And Jisung will forever deny it, but his heart flutters a little bit.

 

He shies away into the blankets, flustered.

 

“I wasn’t staring at you,” he repeats. Minho lets out a chuckle, and shifts to lay on his back, looking at the ceiling for a bit. 

 

_ What is Jisung doing here? _ Minho wonders. He’s sure it was Seungmin who ended up in the same bed as him. But, to be fair, he isn’t going to complain about it. Especially not when Jisung is just sticking his eyes out of the blankets and looking at him, maybe a little intimidated.

 

Minho smiles at him. 

 

“Did you know that when you sleep with someone,” he says, “after waking up, it feels like you’ve known them your whole life?”

 

Jisung rolls his eyes. There’s this particular lock of hair that’s sticking out and Minho really wants to smooth it down for him. But he thinks that maybe Jisung wouldn’t like that.

 

“That’s dumb,” He scoffs. 

 

“Why? I can totally feel it!” Minho giggles. “We’re best friends now, just accept it.”

 

Jisung doesn’t agree, but he doesn’t say no either. They decide to go wash up and make something for breakfast when Jisung’s stomach starts to rumble. 

 

Even though Minho just said it as a joke to fluster Jisung, when they stand in front of the bathroom mirror next to each other, silently competing to see who can brush their teeth for longer, he kinda believes it. It feels like he has always known Jisung’s mannerisms. And how he’s just the perfect height for a hug. While they make their way to the kitchen and try to make a pot of coffee without waking everyone up, especially Jeongin, Minho feels like he could confide the world in Jisung. He doesn’t even bother to wonder if Jisung feels the same way. He just knows.

 

It doesn’t take long for the scent of coffee to fill the room, and for the rest of their friends to start getting up and joining them for breakfast. The first to appear is Felix, who seems to observe rather closely the way that Minho pours still sleepy Jisung a cup of coffee, asks him if he wants any milk or sugar with it and then ushers him to go sit down at the table. By the time Jisung exits the kitchen, Felix is smirking right at Minho while holding the fridge door open. 

 

He’s perceptive, that Felix. Minho gives him a little smile.

 

“Good morning,” he says. Felix nods.

 

Before they can say anything else, Chan comes into the room, followed by Woojin, who already seems ready for the day, camera in tow and everything.

 

So it doesn’t take long for all of them to join and finish breakfast, and then pack up for the beach. They walk down to it enthusiastically, excited to fulfill the reason they came on this trip for, and they start planning and organizing the best ways to film Woojin’s senior project.

 

They eventually decide that Hyunjin and Jeongin should be the protagonists, for some reason or other. They seem to want to be, and nobody objects. So it’s set. Woojin doesn’t need a lot of characters. Seungmin plays a relevant part and so does Chan. Then Changbin, Minho and Felix take up the part of extras. Jisung doesn’t really feel comfortable being on camera, but he provides all the help he can with moral support, props, and snacks.

 

A couple of hours go by, filming scenes over and over again to try different dialogues and camera angles. Everyone has a lot of fun, and it doesn’t really feel like homework of any sort. And they keep talking about how excited they are about watching the final product. 

 

When filming is almost over and Woojin just needs some more shots of the protagonists, Jisung goes to test the temperature of the water. He puts a foot in carefully, and it’s surprisingly not that cold. He can bear the temperature enough to start walking along the water. So he does.

 

Slightly in a trance induced by the pleasant wind and the smell of the sea, the soft sand under his feet and the sounds of nature, he doesn’t even realize that Minho has caught up to him and is walking with him for a while. They go about their way mainly in silence. Mentioning the beauty of the landscape or the shape of a cloud once in a while. Maybe joking with each other. Minho steals little glances at Jisung, basks in the fact that he looks comfortable with Minho’s presence. 

 

It’s not until they realize that they’ve walked so far that they can no longer see their friends on the shoreline that they stop on their tracks. Jisung looks like he’s about to start walking back, but Minho stops him. 

 

“Aren’t you cold?” He says, “you’ve been walking with your feet in the water for a while.”

 

Jisung shrugs. 

 

“It’s not as cold as it looks. Quite pleasant actually.”  

 

“Oh, really?” Minho asks with a defying smile, bending down to cup some water into his hands.

 

And then he splashes it right into Jisung’s face. He tries to shield himself with his hands but fails, and it prompts a childish war of sorts. Jisung frowns and kicks some water at Minho, who kicks it right back. Without even realising, they start chasing each other to see who can get the other the wettest. 

 

Minho is laughing, but Jisung seems rather upset, so he starts to worry about being the only one who’s having fun, and asking himself if this is a real fight. He doesn’t have much time to ponder about it, though, because Jisung decides that just awkwardly tossing water at each other is not enough, and he takes a more direct approach.  

 

He charges right into Minho, grabbing him by the sleeves of his sweater and quite literally tries to sink him into the water. He shakes Minho flimsily, attempting to make him lose balance, but he isn’t successful. Minho doesn’t wait to retaliate, grabs Jisung by the shoulders to reduce his range of attack and to try and sink him first. They might as well have been screaming at each other the entire time. Neither recalls the moment properly.

 

They’re face to face, and really close. And while Jisung is trying his hardest to push Minho down, Minho is entertained by Jisung’s focused expressions. He’s biting hard on his bottom lip and furrowing his brows aggressively, avoiding eye contact at all costs. His hair is slightly wet as well, and there’s a droplet of water running down his cheek. Oh, he looks so cute.

 

And then Minho, in his fit of giggling, trips over his own foot and ends up right in the water. The fall doesn’t hurt. But Jisung, looking down at him, suddenly bursts into laughter.

 

Full on, eyes closed, wide smile, loud laughing that leaves him gasping for air, hands on his knees, desperate for composure. His laugh is tingly and contagious, and Minho definitely laughs along with him. He’s slightly mesmerized and in disbelief. Is this really the first time Minho is seeing and hearing Jisung laugh? There’s a sudden throbbing at his chest, Minho’s heartbeat is rushing.

 

Jisung ends up stretching a hand out to him, so as to help him up, and Minho definitely takes it. Once he’s back up again, standing close to Jisung, he can tell that a smile has remained between Jisung’s cheeks. It’s not a sly one, lips curved upwards and teeth showing. He’s beaming. And the sunset behind him doesn’t help Minho’s cause either. He’s in deep.

 

“Are you okay?” Jisung asks, suddenly concerned. “Your clothes are all soaked now.” 

 

He’s speaking, Minho is sure of it, but he just can’t make out exactly what Jisung is saying. He’s too preoccupied in following the shapes his mouth makes. And the hand that comes up to rub his neck. 

 

“Pretty...” Minho lets out. It’s a soft whisper that could just as well be mistaken for the sound of the sea.

 

Jisung’s eyes shot up to look at Minho, big and round and sparkly. He definitely heard it.

 

“What?” 

 

“Your smile. It’s pretty,” Minho says, confidently this time. “You should smile more often.”

 

It might have been the orange sunset tricking his eyes, but Minho is pretty sure Jisung starts to blush before he immediately walks past him and starts making his way back with no verbal response whatsoever. Minho follows his footprints on the sand for a while, dazed, trying to print that memory into his brain as hard as he possibly can. 

 

No more words are exchanged between them on the way back to their friends, or in the way back home either. There’s a lot Minho wants to say, but he doesn’t want to make Jisung uncomfortable. 

 

That’s why, when he arrives at the comfort of his apartment, and after saying hi to his cats and making sure they’re well fed, he fetches his phone and texts Jisung. He lingers on his keyboard for a while, thinking of what exactly to write, but he decides for something simple. After all, Jisung might not even reply.

 

_ What are you doing? _

 

He immediately locks his phone and goes to run a bath, slightly scared for the outcome of that text. He’s not entirely sure of his relationship with Jisung or how Jisung feels about him. But he does get an answer, a couple of minutes later. Minho picks his phone up instantly.

 

_ Hyunjin and Seungmin are coming over and bringing takeout, so not much _

_ What about you? _

 

Okay. Okay. Minho smiles at Dori on his lap. Not only did he get an answer, but he also got a question back. Maybe things are not that bad after all.

 

Jisung scratches his head, a little frustrated, while Felix tries to tidy up the floor on which they’ll most likely end up eating. He desperately wants to figure out why Minho is texting him, but he can’t really find a coherent reason.

 

He answers anyway, though, because he feels like it would be disrespectful otherwise. But he tries to keep his reply times to at least five minutes after he gets a message. That does not deter Minho in the slightest, though. He keeps talking and replying only seconds after Jisung sends a message. The worst thing is, the conversation doesn’t really seem to have a point, an objective, something that would bring it to an end. It just goes on and on and on.

 

Jisung is so distracted by it that he doesn’t even notice when his friends arrive until they call him to go have dinner with them. At least that serves as an excuse to cut Minho off for a while. But when they finish, Jisung goes back to find another question in his text messages. 

 

Hyunjin curls himself into a ball at the end of Jisung’s bed, while Seungmin takes up most of Felix’s. They’re laughing about something. 

 

“Seriously though, why didn’t you take the one bed with Changbin?” Felix asks. “That was such an opportunity to flirt.”

 

Hyunjin shrugs.

 

“I felt like that would've been pushing it too far.”

 

Jisung zones out of the conversation and looks down at his phone. He knows he should be paying more attention to his friends, and care more about the topic in general. But for some reason, he’s just drawn to texting Minho. He checks the message he got.

 

_ eat well. _

_ I have a weird question _

 

Jisung answers a quick “ _ shoot _ ” before going back to the conversation about Hyunjin and Changbin until he gets another reply from Minho. 

 

_ does Hyunjin like Changbin? _

_ as in, romantically? _

 

Jisung has to physically hold himself back from gasping because that would alert his friends. How did this happen? How did Minho find out? This is terrible. He tries to play it cool.

 

_ what makes you think that? _

 

Minho replies almost instantly. His friends are still talking but Jisung can only hear his own thoughts.

 

_ idk, the way felix always wants them to be together all the time _

_ there’s something about felix _

 

Jisung starts to wonder if Minho is serious or just playing some sort of dumb prank.

 

_ what about felix? _

 

Again, Minho replies immediately.

 

_ he strikes me as a good matchmaker _

 

Jisung locks his phone to breathe and try to figure out the best course of action. He zones back into the conversation and Seungmin and Felix are both frowning disapprovingly at Hyunjin, that’s speaking about something.

 

“...and then he said that he could tutor me if I wanted to...” He says softly.

 

“Of course he was flirting! Are you kidding me?” Felix rolls his eyes at him.

 

Jisung gets progressively annoyed by the constant talk about crushes and flirting and trying to be with someone incessantly. Is that all there is to life? After all, he’s perfectly happy about being alone. Why do his friends want to push this matter constantly instead of letting it go and letting Hyunjin handle it alone? He interrupts the conversation with a sigh.

 

“Why does it seem like everyone around me is super in love or something, except for me?”

 

Little did he know, that would cause Jisung to become the center of attention. Seungmin raises an eyebrow at him.

 

“Yeah Jisung, you never ever like anybody,” he says defiantly, almost in a mocking tone. “Have you ever even kissed anyone?”

 

Jisung can’t tell if it’s a joke or not, but he lowers his gaze anyway, retreating back into his phone and hoping the spotlight would just shine on somebody else. He takes the opportunity to reply to Minho.

 

_ please don’t tell ANYBODY about it _

_ nobody _

_ please, promise _

 

“What about Lee Minho?” Felix says all of a sudden, making Jisung’s skin crawl. What is this strange telepathy of Minho bringing up Felix and Felix bringing up Minho?

 

“What about him?” He says coldly. Felix shrugs, but the hints of a cheeky smirk pull the corner of his lips up.

 

“I don’t know, you guys were getting real cosy with each other on that trip… Just saying...” He remarks almost sarcastically.

 

“I thought you didn’t like Minho,” Hyunjin comments, confused.

 

“Because I don’t!” Jisung replies and glares right at his roommate. “I don’t know what Felix is trying to suggest right now.”

 

“Hey, I’m just saying,” Felix raises his hands at Jisung to show he means no harm. The atmosphere grows a little tense.

 

“Wait, you don’t like Minho?” Seungmin says, wondering. “But you agreed to go sleep with him...”

 

Jisung’s phone vibrates with notifications.

 

_ don’t worry, Jisung _

_ I won’t tell anyone  _

 

“It’s not that I don’t like him, I mean,” Jisung tries to explain. “I just… don’t know him that well, he’s kinda cool I guess...”

 

The tension doesn’t stop raising, and everyone is looking expectantly at Jisung while he doesn’t know what to say. He’s not lying. He doesn’t like Minho that way, of course. It’s just hard to explain the way he does feel about him. Seungmin finally decides to let out a little laugh.

 

“Alright, let’s change the subject...”

 

They do, and fortunately, they never touch on the topic again that night. They end up having fun and laughing a lot, and Jisung doesn’t pick his phone up again until Seungmin and Hyunjin leave. 

 

Later, though, when the lights are off and Felix decides to go to sleep, the topic reappears in Jisung’s mind. It really does feel like everyone around him has a crush except for him. He goes to his messenger app and texts Minho almost without even realising.

 

_ I have a weird question in return _

 

He doesn’t have time to reflect on what he just did or regret it, because Felix turns around to face him.

 

“Jisung,” he calls, “are you awake?”

 

“Mhm...” 

 

Then, Minho replies.

 

_ go for it _

 

“Look, I just want you to know that you can trust me, okay? You can tell me anything.”

 

Felix doesn’t sound worried about Jisung. He doesn’t sound like he feels forced to say that, or anything of the sort. It seems really random. Jisung wonders what prompted him to say it. He smiles anyway. 

 

“Thanks, buddy,” he says, “right back at you.”

 

Jisung types out his message to Minho, and once again, sends it without even thinking.

 

_ do you have a crush on anyone right now? _

 

This time, Minho takes a bit longer to reply. 

 

_ … _

_ maybe I do _

 

Jisung sighs. His theory is true. He’s surrounded by people with crushes and people worried about somebody else's crush. He’s the only loner of the group, who is he going to talk about it with? He replies to Minho with curiosity.

 

_ really? _

_ on who? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omfg can jisung be any more oblivious skskssks
> 
> Thanks for reading! Don't forget to let me know what you think in the comments!  
> Have a great week and stay safe!


	5. Almost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! It is me! I am so very sorry for taking this long to upload, but I won't promise to try to upload faster, because every time I do, it just seems like I end up taking longer than before.
> 
> Anyway, I'm sorry if there are any ugly mistakes in this, I'm very sleep deprived, but I just had to post it at once. Hope you enjoy!

Minho rolls around in bed, lets out a big sigh. His room is only illuminated by the brightness of his phone. He stares at the blinking bar on his keyboard for a while. 

 

Now that the topic has been brought up, Minho can’t tell if Jisung is being serious or not. Is he really asking him who his crush is? Isn’t it obvious from a mile away? Minho has the theory that even Felix has it figured out by now, so why exactly doesn’t Jisung know?

 

For a split second, Minho actually considers telling him the truth. Just flat out confess like this, out of nowhere. But then, he rolls to the other side of the bed and flips his pillow to try to cool off. If Jisung really is this oblivious to his feelings, then, if he found out about them, he might not be comfortable. 

 

What if Jisung, in fact, wants nothing to do with Minho? And Minho is overthinking everything? Maybe Jisung isn’t just shy and hard to crack into. Maybe he really doesn’t like Minho at all. 

 

He works himself up like that for an entire ten minutes, until Soonie comes to cuddle up to him for a while, and he decides to give up. He types out a halfhearted:

 

_ nobody that you know _

 

Locks his phone, then goes to sleep. 

 

On Jisung’s end, things are a bit different. He’s playing some game on his phone, waiting for a reply from Minho, and when he gets it, he props himself up on his elbow to type quicker.

 

_ so what???? _

_ I still want to know who it is _

 

But he doesn’t get an answer. Minho seems to be offline too. What is that supposed to mean? How can he just cut off a conversation like that? Jisung feels a throbbing urgency to know, for some reason. 

 

_ tell me _

_ lee minho _

_ I won’t tell anyone, I promise _

_ MINHO _

 

To no avail. Minho seems to have fallen asleep or disappeared off the face of the earth. Jisung rolls his eyes. One time that he actually seeks Minho out for a conversation and he gets disrespected. How can he leave him curious like that? Jisung angrily sends one last message.

 

_ goodnight _

 

He locks his phone and submerges himself into the blankets, trying his hardest to fall asleep and failing miserably. He twists and turns in bed, but he doesn’t get any sleepier. There’s a weird, outpaced beating at his chest and he’s way too anxious. This is all Minho’s fault. Had he simply told Jisung about his crush, Jisung would be able to fall asleep perfectly, but no, he had to be selfish.

 

Jisung bites hard at his bottom lip and picks up his phone again. Goes straight to Instagram. If Minho likes this person so much, he must have a picture with them, right?

 

Right. So it’s just a matter of finding out by himself. He doesn’t need hints from Minho, just from Minho’s account.

 

He goes to the latest picture uploaded, and it’s of the two of them at the beach, from the trip they took. Hyunjin had snapped it when they weren’t looking, but instead, were very busy building a sandcastle. Jisung zooms in on his own hair, messed up by the wind. Why did Minho post that without telling him? 

 

The next picture is of a cat. So are the following two. Then, an aesthetically pleasing picture of some latte art. Then, a picture with Chan, another cat, and then, a distorted selfie with a bunch of flashy effects. Maybe this is going to be harder than Jisung expected. 

 

There’s another picture, a selfie of Minho in front of a pretty landscape that looks like it could maybe be Busan. The wind is slightly blowing on his hair and he’s smiling brightly. The tip of his nose is pointed upwards and his eyes are almost at the shape of crescent moons. Jisung kinda gasps when he opens it, and, the more he looks, the prettier the picture gets, and the hotter Jisung’s cheeks go. But he can’t stop staring at it, he zooms in on Minho’s face over and over again. Not realizing his heartbeat is rushing. 

 

He decides to stop scrolling down Minho’s Instagram and just go to sleep, squishing his cheeks up with his palms to try to cool down, but he’s too flustered. It takes him a long time to finally fall asleep.

 

The next morning, Minho wakes up to go to school and groggily reaches for his phone. Squinting at the blinding light, he checks his notifications. All the messages from Jisung startle him awake instantly. He sits down in bed and quickly thinks of a way to make things better. It wasn’t his intention to cut Jisung off like that.

 

_ Sorry, I fell asleep yesterday _

_ Can I buy you lunch today? _

_ And maybe I’ll tell you more about it _

_ Maybe _

  
  
  


“Do you see this?!” Jisung shoves his phone on Hyunjin’s face the minute he gets to school.

 

His sleepy friend gives him a confused look. 

 

“What… is happening?” He asks, raising one eyebrow.

 

Jisung lets off a frustrated sigh. His foot stepping anxiously on the concrete. 

 

“It’s Minho! He didn’t tell me who his crush is and just ignored me all night!” He bursts out as if it was extremely obvious. 

 

Hyunjin blinks at him a few times as if he didn’t hear correctly.

 

“Minho has a crush?”

  
  
  


On the wooden floor of the library, Jisung’s anxious stepping makes less noise. He scrolls up and down his chat with Minho, but Seungmin seems just as confused as Hyunjin was.

 

“Right? Apparently, he does and he didn’t even care to tell me until I asked!” He complains.

 

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be friends with him?” Seungmin whispers from behind his textbook, urging Jisung to roll his eyes. 

 

“That has nothing to do with this!” He says aloud and is adamantly shushed by the librarian. “Can you believe that he ignored me all night after that?!”

 

Seungmin hesitates. 

 

“But, he offered to buy you lunch as an apology…”

  
  
  


Against the clicky floor tiles of the hallway, Jisung’s aggressive stepping makes the most noise. And Felix looks the least confused.

 

“That’s not the point! I just mean that he…” Jisung is fed up with explaining by now, and he doesn’t know what to say anymore. “Minho..!” 

 

Felix stops him in the middle of the hallway. Putting his hands on Jisung’s shoulders. 

 

“Jisung, are you okay?” He asks, gently.

 

“What do you mean?” 

 

“Hyunjin and Seungmin said you’ve been talking about Minho all day…” Felix looks to the side, looking for the correct words to say. “Are you… worried?” 

 

“Worried? About what?” Jisung frowns. 

 

“You know, about Minho’s crush..?”

 

“Of course I am! I’m curious, I want to know who it is!” He smiles. At least Felix seems to know what Jisung is talking about. 

 

Felix takes a deep breath, stepping closer to Jisung to be able to speak quieter. 

 

“No, I mean, are you worried about being hurt or disappointed when you find out who his crush is?”

 

Jisung makes a confused sound. Maybe Felix isn’t understanding the conversation after all. 

 

“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but, Minho better tell me all about it during lunch.”

  
  
  
  


Jisung finds himself walking down to that one diner close to the school when his phone starts vibrating incessantly. At this point, it’s become a frequent thing for him, having his phone blown up out of nowhere. Too many chaotic group chats and friends that are always excited about everything. 

 

He doesn’t want to deal with it right now, so he doesn’t even bother to take his phone out of his pocket. He’s enjoying the cool air of the afternoon as he makes his way down the street, humming a little song and ready to take on lunch when he sees Minho standing near the entrance.

 

Jisung stops in his tracks. For a second, it seems like the time has stopped around him and he can’t move a muscle. He remains there, standing in the middle of the sidewalk meters away from the diner, his stomach growling but he can’t bring himself to keep walking.

 

Fortunately, Minho is staring at his phone and appears to be distracted enough not to notice Jisung yet. There’s a certain aura around him. It’s something in the middle between comfortable oblivion and sparkling confidence that reaches Jisung even when he’s still half a block away.

 

It’s a warm day for autumn, and it looks like Minho’s combed his hair back to feel the breeze on his forehead and there’s a shiny earring dangling from his ear. His jawline looks sharp and casts a shadow on his neck. He’s wearing a short-sleeved button-up shirt, tucked into his pants. There’s something about his nonchalant posture and his forearms, slightly veiny and slightly tan, that makes it impossible for Jisung to look away.

 

There his heartbeat goes, doing that weird thing again. Jisung takes a deep breath before taking a step towards him, and then another. Subconsciously, he tries his very best to look unconcerned and relaxed and even tries to put on a little smirk. From the outside, he probably looks like some terrified kitten, though.

 

When he finally gets to Minho, Jisung realizes that he’s also wearing a cologne with a sweet scent that kinda reminds him of the beach. He attributes his sudden shortness of breath and lightheadedness to this intoxicating scent, and not to the fact that he finally locks eyes with Minho and he smiles brightly at him. Jisung tries to brush the butterflies in his stomach off as hunger and absolutely nothing else.

 

They greet each other in shaky voices, share a moment of awkward silence and then decide to go in. Minho orders immediately for both of them, having been there enough times to accurately predict Jisung’s favourite dish.

 

Jisung doesn’t waste a single second. He leans over the table, blinking repeatedly. 

 

“So… who’s your crush?” 

 

Minho blurts out a laugh and looks to the side. 

 

“Are you serious?” He asks. 

 

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Jisung tries to put on the most serious of expressions, but it only makes Minho giggle louder. 

 

His laugh. It’s so, so very refreshing. Jisung basks in it for a second. But he is not going to give up the reason why he came in the first place.

 

“So?” He asks again. “Is it somebody that I know?” 

 

Minho rolls his eyes.

 

“Maybe. Maybe,” he says and tries to avoid the topic. “Have you seen the group chat?”

 

Jisung sighs. He shakes his head. He can’t understand why Minho doesn’t want to talk about it with him. Does he not trust him?

 

“I don’t feel like it.”

 

Minho leans his cheek on his hand, giving him the slightest of smiles. It’s almost as if he’s toying with Jisung. Pulling on the string. Jisung feels laughed at. Pathetically asking to know about Minho when he declared he didn’t like him not long ago. But he has to know, he needs to know.

 

“Check the group chat,” Minho says, and their food arrives at the table, creating a bigger distance between them. 

 

Jisung digs in, paying no mind at all to Minho or his phone, still vibrating on the table. 

 

“Once you tell me about your crush, I will.” 

 

Minho blows gently on his food, and for the first time ever, he’s avoiding eye contact. He looks a little bit affected, so Jisung starts to worry that he might be pushing it too much.

 

“Alright, let’s make a deal,” Minho says, sternly. “If you read the group chat, I’ll tell you some essential information about my crush.”

 

Jisung lays his fork down. Picks up the phone. 

 

“You better not be lying,” he threatens before unlocking, and finally opening the damn group chat. 

 

He quickly scrolls through the hundreds of messages to get a general idea, and his heart drops. This might just be worse than the spontaneous trip to the sea. Jisung sighs. He really can’t catch a break. 

 

“So this senior girl is having a party at her house this Friday, and we’re all invited,” he mumbles in a tone that is a mix between boredom and utter disinterest. 

 

Minho raises an eyebrow at him. He looks excited, perhaps even nervous.

 

“So… are you going?” He asks. 

 

Jisung clicks his tongue, annoyed. Is this serious? 

 

“Finals start next week.” 

 

“... So?” Minho shrugs.

 

 All his college experience might deem a party in the weekend before finals harmless, but Jisung is ready to spend the entire two days drowning in textbooks. No time for partying or anything of the sort.

 

“Absolutely not, I have final exams,” he shakes his head emphatically. “It’s a big no from me.” 

 

Minho looks down, appearing slightly defeated. But Jisung is not giving up any time soon.

 

“Well..?” He asks. “What about your crush?”

 

“My crush will be at the party,” Minho answers, a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. “So you better show up if you want any more information about the matter.” 

 

Jisung complains very harshly about this, but Minho is not wavering. He’s set in his decision. They go the rest of their lunch bickering about this and that. Jisung tries to get clues out of Minho but fails miserably every single time.

  
  
  
  
  


“Alright, I’ll go first!” Says the host of the party, sharing a sly look with those around her. 

 

She reaches for the beer bottle, and everyone watches expectantly as she gives it a spin. It seems like hours before it eventually stops. Jisung watches it wide-eyed as if he had never seen such a thing before. The bottle lands on tipsy, rosy-cheeked Seungmin. 

 

He smiles to himself, before the girl crawls up to him, grabs him by the shoulders and presses a firm but slightly hesitated peck to his lips. 

 

_ This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever witnessed in my life _ , Jisung thinks when everyone around him starts cheering, Seungmin’s hair gets ruffled, and they determine that whoever the bottom of the bottle is pointing at, will be the next to spin. 

 

It lands on some other girl that Jisung had seen around college a couple of times. She is all bubbly and extroverted, and she giggles when she spins the bottle. It takes a good twenty seconds for it to finally slow down, but Jisung’s heartbeat can only get faster. What if it lands on him?

 

But it doesn’t, fortunately, it spins past him and it lands on somebody else. It lands perfectly on Minho. Jisung’s heart skips a beat. The girl smiles widely, almost as if she had been waiting to get that result. 

 

If Jisung was asked right then, how he ended up in the middle of that party when he so adamantly had rejected going‍, he would most likely not have a concrete answer. Maybe the utter curiosity and desire to finally know who Minho’s crush is had gotten the best of him. All he knows is that he somehow found himself knocking on the door, standing next to Felix and Seungmin, absolutely not prepared for what was going to happen. 

 

He had been greeted with excitement and whisked into the house, and then immediately lost Seungmin to the animated crowd. Jisung had managed to stay glued to Felix for a good hour before he went to pour himself a cup of coke and promptly lost him as well. He had turned around and found himself all alone and unable to spot anybody that he knew, even though the seniors were supposed to be there as well. 

 

He had decided to say there, standing next to the drink tables and wait it out, hoping to go unnoticed. But as time went by, Jisung started getting more and more worried about getting misjudged as some weirdo who didn’t know how to have fun at parties. And so he had wandered off into the house, through the kitchen and finally out to the backyard, where the music was significantly quieter and there weren’t as many people. 

 

In fact, there was only Seungmin, chugging down some drink, Minho chatting with the bubbly girl,  _ his crush, perhaps?  _ and the host of the party dancing, more like wobbling around, with one guy and two other girls. Jisung had found this atmosphere much more relaxed and likable, and so he had gone to hang out with Seungmin.

 

Eventually, the eight of them had ended up happily chatting all together, and Jisung could see that at least half of them were past the state of tipsy. By that time, Jisung had already stared bubbly girl down many times. It was unclear if Minho had a crush on her, but it was more than crystal clear that she did like to put her hands all over him.

 

“Oh my god, you guys!” The host of the party had said. “Remember 'spin the bottle'?”

 

To what everyone had nodded. Then, they had started talking about the kissing game they all used to play when they were younger. Jisung had smiled along getting increasingly uncomfortable when one of the girls suggested they play it right then and there. 

 

Jisung had started to shake his head but everyone loudly agreed, and so he was pressured into sitting in a circle on the floor, around an empty beer bottle, Minho’s brown eyes boring into him the entire time. 

 

And that is how Jisung, who had never kissed anybody, let alone experienced that game, ended up playing spin the bottle.

 

The bubbly girl shares a glance with Minho and Jisung can no longer hear the music coming from the inside of the house, he can only hear his rushing heartbeat that makes it feel like his heart is about to burst out of his chest any second.  _ Is this it? _ He thinks. 

 

The tension rises when she finally crawls up to Minho, and he welcomes her with a smile and a quick glance to Jisung, but she seems to get shy and looks to the side. Of course, who wouldn’t get shy being that close to Lee Minho’s stupid face?

 

Jisung sees it all in slow motion. The expectant looks from everyone in the circle, the way her cheeks get pinker when Minho brings a hand up to her face and draws her closer, he can almost hear how her heart flutters.

 

Jisung had thought about this before. About how many people Minho must have kissed. About how intimidatingly attractive he looks like that, glancing from her lips to her eyes. How soft he must be at it, how gentle. Jisung didn’t drink but the world spins around him at a pace that is too fast for him to handle and yet Minho is in slow motion. Frozen in that state and the line gets blurry.

 

Jisung doesn’t know if he envies Minho for being so attractive, or if he wants to have Minho to himself. He’s not sure if he wants to run away from there because he is utterly embarrassed about never having kissed anyone in his life, or if he wants to avoid seeing Minho kiss anyone at all costs. Staring at them inching closer, the line gets blurry because Jisung doesn’t know if he wants to be him or be her. 

 

Minho sees him move almost instinctively and immediately turns his eyes away from the girl. Jisung looks shaken, flushed. He gets up on his feet and aggressively turns around, offers no explanation whatsoever and stomps back into the house. 

 

Minho gives the girl a half-hearted “sorry” before getting up as well. Everyone is staring in confusion and Minho is glad Jisung can’t see it. He enters the house in a state of desperation spiked by the dull darkness and the number of people. He focuses his entire brain on not losing Jisung to the crowd. He runs through the house behind him and makes his way to the living room, where he spots him going through the front door.

 

“Jisung!” He calls, but Jisung doesn’t turn around. 

 

For some reason, Minho is convinced that he might be crying. Jisung doesn’t show any signs of it, just keeps walking fast down the sidewalk. Minho continues to chase after him almost in a frenzy. His breathing heavy.  

 

It was always his intention to try and get him a little jealous, to see if he could maybe get a reaction out of him. But this is too much, Minho didn’t think Jisung would be so affected.

 

He reaches Jisung at once and tugs at his jacket, almost violently turning him around. Jisung is not crying, but he’s still flustered and frowning at him. 

 

Minho lets out a relieved sigh.

 

“What? Leave me alone!” Jisung attempts to free himself of Minho’s grasp but Minho only holds him harder. 

 

There’s a sense of urgency in the air.  _ Fix this now or it might stay broken forever.  _ That’s how Minho feels.

 

“I’m sorry!” He blurts out. Jisung gives him a confused look. 

 

“Sorry for what?” He asks. They’re both out of breath and heavily emotional. Jisung looks down and pulls on Minho’s sleeve. “Look, I just want to go home…” 

 

“Jisung,” Minho calls. “It’s just a kiss, it doesn’t have to mean anything if you don’t want it to.” 

 

Jisung rolls his eyes. 

 

“That’s easy for you to say.” 

 

“Okay. I’ll show you, then,” Minho whispers, overwhelmed by some sort of trance.

 

His hands come up to Jisung's cheeks to keep him still as he gently leans in. Jisung offers no resistance apart from his hand bunching up on a fist at Minho’s sleeve. His big sparkling eyes staring right at him almost in fear.

 

Upon getting closer, Minho can sense remnants of a nice cologne, and their noses brush ever so slightly. Jisung is tense and his eyes snap shut, he gives a little shaky whine. They’re so close. Minho can almost taste him, he can almost feel him. It’s taking everything in him to hold back and be gentle. He wishes he could just slide his fingers through the hair in Jisung’s nape and drag his innocent lips into the harshest of kisses.

 

_ Not right now, Minho _ , he tells himself in an attempt to calm down.  _ Not like this. He’s too nervous, this is too impulsive, he’s going to regret it later.  _

 

Against all his will, and sticking to the tiniest amount of rationality left in him, Minho pulls away, feeling cold all of a sudden, and he pats Jisung’s shoulder. He takes a deep breath, his vision slightly blurry. Regaining composure seems to be extremely difficult. 

 

“Go home, Jisung,” he says, turning around.

 

And he fully intends to do the same, just slowly walk home in the cool air, maybe even sing a drunken song in an attempt to drown out everything he wants to say but can’t, when he feels a hand shyly grasping the back of his jacket, not letting him go. The tiniest voice comes from behind him. 

 

“Minho, wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry again for taking so long and thank you for putting up with me! Hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Have a great week and stay safe!


End file.
